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The untapped influence of employee incivility on customer citizenship behavior: A mixed-methods inquiry in quick-service restaurants

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  • Shagirbasha, Shameem
  • Kumar, Madhan
  • Panda, Nalinakshya

Abstract

Customer Citizenship Behavior (CCB), which refers to voluntary and helpful actions that go beyond a customer's basic role, has gained significant recognition as a key contributor to service excellence. Despite the significant traction, the influence of employee incivility on CCB has been underexplored in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) context. With this in the backdrop, we adopted an exploratory, sequential mixed-methods approach. Study 1 comprised five focus group discussions to explore the constraints and enablers of customer citizenship behavior. Using the findings of the qualitative investigation and based on affective events theory and moral identity theory, we have conceptualized and tested a model. Study 2 examined the moderated mediation model using data from 675 QSR customers. The analysis revealed that, despite experiencing embarrassment, customers with higher moral identities are likely to engage in customer citizenship behavior. This study advances food retailing research by integrating affective and moral pathways in understanding customer behavior and suggests that fostering a respectful service climate may mitigate the negative effects of incivility and enhance customer loyalty.

Suggested Citation

  • Shagirbasha, Shameem & Kumar, Madhan & Panda, Nalinakshya, 2026. "The untapped influence of employee incivility on customer citizenship behavior: A mixed-methods inquiry in quick-service restaurants," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:88:y:2026:i:c:s0969698925002589
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104479
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    References listed on IDEAS

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